SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Leaning over the railing of the back deck, the 8-year-old kept one hand on the camera around his neck and used the other to point out leafy shoots in the garden below.

“See the big, big leaves?” he asked, pointing. “Those are the cucumbers.”

Bilal Sharif’s impressive grasp of English was only outweighed by his ability to lean on the rail — something that would have been impossible about seven months ago, when the Afghan boy’s bladder was still partially outside his body.

A few days after finishing his first year at Clarks Summit Elementary, Bilal wanted to talk about his favorite superheroes, foods and activities, like photography. He snapped a few frames of an American flag fluttering in the afternoon breeze outside his host family’s South Abington Twp. home. Since his arrival, he has had one successful bladder surgery, started learning to swim, helped plant the garden and taken many pictures. The flag on the back deck is one of his favorite subjects.

“The American flag is special,” he said as he reviewed his latest photos. “You know you’re American.”

“That’s my teacher!” he added excitedly, pointing to the screen on the camera.

As he clicked through the pictures, he explained the significance of each in his life, all in stunning English for the little boy who only spoke Pashto when he arrived in September.

His humanitarian visa is set to expire in the fall, but his host mom, Laureen Dempsey, said it will likely be extended so he can have several more surgeries. He’ll have a second surgery on his bladder this summer. The first repositioned his bladder and organs. The next will make adjustments to help him develop bladder control and continence, which he has never had.

When he arrived from Afghanistan, where he helped his father make bricks, Bilal was malnourished and underweight. He was measured at school this year and ranked in the 95th percentile in every category, Mrs. Dempsey said. He has grown about 4 inches.

Mrs. Dempsey said once the bladder surgeries are completed, there will be more work to be done. Bilal’s feet are about six sizes apart, a result of hip problems, which must be corrected surgically.

The little boy finds himself in pain, but only because he “plays so hard,” Mrs. Dempsey said.

Despite the physical challenges, she is always impressed by his attitude and eagerness to help around the house, recalling a recent request that he take out the trash.

“He said, ‘Mom, for you, I do anything,’ ” she said.

He also suggested that the family build a backyard pool. He offered to dig the hole. Apart from the sometimes broken English and his humanitarian visa, he is like any little boy.

“His first love is cheeseburgers and french fries,” Mrs. Dempsey joked. “His second love is TV. It’s where he learns a lot of his words.”

It can also help Mrs. Dempsey understand the world Bilal left behind. Mrs. Dempsey said the pair were watching a program that had tanks and Bilal turned to her and said they were the cars of Afghanistan, asking why there weren’t any in Clarks Summit.

Bilal speaks to his parents in Afghanistan about every six to eight weeks, Mrs. Dempsey said, with help from people like Civil Affairs officer, Maj. Glenn Battschinger, who was instrumental in securing Bilal’s visa and hosts.

Mrs. Dempsey said the last call was difficult, because Bilal started to mix up his English and Pashto. His father said he was pleased Bilal was learning English.

Bilal will have a tutor to work on his English and reading this summer. He’ll also spend time with a neighbor who speaks Pashto so he can maintain the language of his home.

Bilal said he loves books about dinosaurs and snakes. He also said he wants to be a doctor someday in Afghanistan.

“I really want to be a doctor because there are no doctors and a lot of people die,” Bilal said.

“I be a doctor and then I’m going to Afghanistan to my family,” he said. “They miss me. I miss them.”

Mrs. Dempsey said Bilal saved some money from chores and birthday cards and insisted his $43 be sent to his mother in Afghanistan.

“He wouldn’t leave me alone until I told him I sent that to his mother,” she said. “He had to have great parents, in spite of poverty.”

The little boy has charmed the Dempsey family.

“He’s so passionate about so many things,” Mrs. Dempsey said. “He is easy to love.”

She said he gets lonely for his family in Afghanistan sometimes, but said when he returns home, he’ll probably be lonely for his American family, too.

“I just want him to be happy,” she said. “Happy and safe.”

Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter

You can help Bilal

Private donations are paying for Bilal’s surgeries. To help him and his family, visit giveforward.com/Bilal.

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